If people were asked to list the 10 most secular countries in the world, Sweden would undoubtedly be included. Many would probably have it topping their list.

But things are changing in Sweden.

One indicator of that transformation was seen in a 2025 survey conducted by Sweden’s Ungdomsbarometer (youth barometer).

Every year, the organization asks 15,000 Swedish youth aged 15 to 24 what they think will be trending in the next year. Typically the leading responses have included travel, health, entrepreneurship or even a trend towards less technology.

But in 2025, the response was markedly different as Jesus Christ topped the list for influencer of the year.

While many consider that quite shocking, Ungdomsbarometern noted that an interest in spiritual things has been growing in Sweden for some time now, but it was flying under the radar.

“Young peoples’ interest in religion has been bubbling away for a while, and 2025 seems to be the year where more people find a belief in a higher power, according to the young people themselves,” Ungdomsbarometern stated in its report.

“This year, we’re seeing a shift towards a more spiritual dimension, where the search for deeper meaning is about community, faith and making connections away from digital platforms,” the report continued.

This increased interest has also impacted church attendance with reports indicating that the number of young people attending services has more than doubled over the past four years.

An annual SOM Institute Survey confirmed this growing interest in faith adding there was an increase in the percentage of Swedes who believe in God in 2025. It currently sits at 36%.

When Som first asked the question, “Do you believe in God?” in 2010, the number of Swedes who answered in the affirmative was 47%. That percentage basically declined for the next 14 years, with 2025 marking the first significant reversal of that trend.

According to CBN, this renewed interest in Jesus is a sharp contrast to what was taking place 15 years ago, when a survey found that the majority of people attending the Church of Sweden, the country’s largest denomination, did not believe in Christ’s divinity.

Philip Falk Azevedo, whose ministry focuses on Swedish youth, has noticed a similar trend. In an interview with CBN, he stated that a Christian youth conference organized by his ministry had an attendance of 3,000 in its third year.

“You have parents, even grandparents, who are secular, so if you want to be a ‘punk,’ you want to rebel, you become a believer,” Azevedo said. “You have a Bible under your arm. That’s the most punk thing you can do in Sweden today.”

Josef Barkenbom, a Swedish pastor and commentator, believes social media has played a role in the growing interest in Jesus as it bypasses the influence of Sweden’s secular mainstream media.

“Because of social media, they can’t filter it anymore,” Barkenbom told CBN. “A lot of people that have come to faith have actually come through social media. I was part of starting a social media project here in Sweden called ‘Why Christian?’, and we’ve seen people from all over Sweden come to faith through social media.”

The Holy Spirit is moving in Sweden and social media gives young people unfettered opportunity to share their faith.